How did we do? Ecological Footprint Reevaluation and Analysis



As we enter week 5 I definitely think I have reduced my footprint, but maybe not intentionally. A quick recap of my goals was #1. Reduce the amount of driving I do each week, #2. Reduce the amount of meat and seafood I eat each week, #3. Be more conscious about the companies and where they source their products from. Over the past month or so, I have seen progress as I work toward my goals especially goals #1 and #2. As for the driving in goal 1, I have reduced my driving because it's been raining and I have been for the most part carpooling with friends everywhere. I have been lucky o have friends who like to carpool when we go out, so we just take one car wherever we might go. This has definitely reduced my driving over the past couple of weeks, and with it being relatively rainy out I haven't been driving around for no real reason. Overall I think I have probably reduced my driving by about 40%. Will it sustain? I’m not sure, I tend to end up driving much more in the summer as I am always doing something and going places.

As for goal #2, I have been reducing my red meat intake. It's hard because I like to eat meat and seafood. It's filled with nutrients and protein that I need. I am finding that finding a replacement for nutrient-dense food such as meat is hard. Although, I have only been buying whole-grain bread which might cost more, in my opinion, tastes better and has more nutrients than white bread might have. This goal is still a work in progress and I will keep tracking it and report back in a couple weeks.


Goal three is a little harder because when I go to buy something I find it's really time-consuming to try and find the background of the product and if it's ethically sourced and manufactured. It just takes a lot of time that I don't have. I should definitely try to set a goal to make this a priority when shopping next time.


After our readings in class, I think being more strict on what I throw away and what I recycle will help reduce my footprint. I am usually pretty good about recycling, but it all ends up in one big recycling bin that gets taken away. Buying 1 or 2 more trash cans to separate the recyclables would reduce the labor it takes to separate and sort the recycling when it gets taken to the recycling plant.

 

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